Though it would have been nice to have a curator's note by each of the exhibits, the Groeningemuseum was at least devoid of pretentious outpourings in the manner of artists' statements. Having said that, I didn't take advantage of the museum's audio facility, or buy a catalogue of the permanent works, where such commentaries often lurk.

'The Invention of the Art of Drawing'. Joseph-Benoit Suvée, 1791. Moving on to the neoclassical period, this wonderfully intense painting caught my eye. Suvée tells the story of the daughter of the Greek potter, Butades, who draws the shadow silhouette of her lover before his departure abroad. Described as a symbolic illustration of the Platonic aesthetic theory that underpinned classical art, the theme was popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Bernard Picart's 'The Discovery of Sculpture', 1777, just down the road in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, is similarly concerned.

'The Old Barn'. Emmanuel Viérin, 1900. I nearly missed this one, tucked as it was in an ill-lit corner. Viérin was a prolific recorder of the Belgian landscape, pockets of which remain virtually unchanged.

So realistic were these thistles, it seemed possible to reach into the painting and gather them up. 'The River Lys at Astene'. Emile Claus, c1885. In his career, Claus shifted from naturalistic realism to become the pioneer of Belgian 'Luminism' - I'd never heard of it, but it was so named for the followers' luminous palettes. Those paying attention will recall the painting 'Sunny Day', by Claus, from a previous post: 'When in Ghent'.

And then came the interior decorator's section. 'Function and Variant'. Georges Vantongaloo, 1939. He was a founder member of the De Stijl group whose basic precept was the reduction of the essentials of form and colour to their absolute abstraction.

His earlier post-impressionist figurative work such as 'Moored Fishing Boat in Volendam'. 1915, I'm more at home with.

Over time, Amédée Cortier's style developed from this, 'De Visser', c1945...

... through this 'Paysage' c1950,

... to this. 'Triptych: Red-Yellow-Blue', 1972. The bulk of his later works were almost exclusively - perhaps fashionably - abstract.

'The Conquest of Space. Atlas for the Use of Artists and the Military'. Marcel Broodthaers, 1975. A limited facsimile edition of 500 was printed in 2016, and at around $200 a pop, sold out in about 10 seconds. Good business.

'Black Dot'. René Heyvaert, 1979. It was time to leave...

... and continue our wanderings around the streets of Bruges...

... where the art of brewing was more engagingly celebrated.